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Saturday, March 30, 2013

DearREADERS,
Thanks to the centralized calendar at GeneaWebinars.com, genealogists interested in learning more about our craft may register for these online seminars coming up this week. Be sure to verify the time in your neck of the woods. If you need a time zone converter see: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

Most of these webinars are held using the services of GoToWebinar.com. You don't need to have an account since the webinar organizer has that. As an attendee, you merely need to register, then click on the link in your confirmation email at the time of the event to attend. Newbies will find these links useful:

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

DearREADERS,
Yesterday was a momentous day for Mr. Myrt, since Archives.com made the following announcement. Many of his Norwegian immigrant ancestors continued to practice Lutheranism as they carved out their lives in America.

Archives.com Publishes Millions of Lutheran Church RecordsArchives.com is thrilled to announce the release of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) birth, marriage and death record collections! These three collections total nearly 4.6 million records. Archives.com, in partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Archives, digitized and indexed approximately one thousand rolls of microfilmed records from churches now affiliated with the ELCA. These records have never before been online.The records in these collections date from the mid-1800s through 1940 and include births, baptisms, confirmations, marriages, deaths, and burials. Details vary from church to church, but often include parents' names, dates and places of the event, and other biographical details.Many of the churches were founded by immigrants from Norway, Sweden, and Germany and had immigrant families as their members. These records could hold the key to finding your origins in the Old World.Researching in church records can be challenging, as you often don't know exactly which church your ancestors attended. With the ELCA collections, you don't need to know the specific church your ancestors belonged to. These collections brings together all of the pre-1940 records for churches affiliated with the ELCA.The ELCA collections add to the 2.5 billion records that are currently available to Archives.com members. Not a member? Sign up today for a seven day free trial! Archives.com makes family history simple and affordable.

So Ol' Myrt here decided to try it out, searching first for Mr. Myrt's grandfather Ole J. Sogge. We know his death date from family records. Thanks to Archives.com we now have the original church record of his death and subsequent burial in Sioux City, Iowa. We've been to the grave site, but lacked the church records until now.

My Search for Ole Sogge returned Ole Jurgen Sogge as follows. Of special interest is the click to "View Image" -- so much better than an indexed entry. As it is this indexed entry has an incorrect entry for "prefix" where "Mrs." is listed. However, the information does indeed correspond to family and tombstone dates for Ole and not his wife. (I think the indexer made a mistake as earlier entries for the year 1925 had Mrs. as a prefix.)

Here's the image itself. Thank heavens for a wonderful church secretary or Lutheran minister with legible handwriting! Click to view a larger version of this image.

"Evangelical Lutheran Church of America ArchivesYears:1850-1940Description: This collection contains death and burial records from various Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregations and range from the mid-19th century through the early 20th century. The information contained in the records varies from congregation to congregation (and sometimes from minister to minister). Information can include the person's name, date and place of death, date and place of burial, parents' names, spouse's name, name and location of the church, event type, the title of the original record book, and a digitial image of the record.Address: 321 Bonnie Lane, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007Website: http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/History/ELCA-Archives.aspx

This information for a citation may prove a little confusing to beginning genealogists, since the ELCA-Archives website is not the location of the image - it exists on the Archives.com site. I assume from the description the original record books are in the collection of the ELCA-Archives.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

DearREADERS,
Ancestry's Matthew Deighton stopped by the RootsTech 2013 Media Hub and spent some time with Ol' Myrt. Today he sent me a recap of Tim Sullivan's keynote address, and the link to the archived video.

Ancestry.com is partnering with FamilySearch to bring 140 million
pages of US Probate Records covering more than 130 years. (Loving it! Genealogists need to branch out beyond census images, and I consider probate records a better resource for understanding family relationships.)

Over the next 5 years, Ancestry.com will be spending $100 million
to digitize, index and put online new content on Ancestry.com, Fold3, Archives
and Newspapers.com. (This lays to rest concerns the new owners of Ancestry.com may cut back on acquisitions.)

AncestryDNA is now available to everyone (subscriber and
non-subscribers) for $99. (Good price point for entry-level DNA testing, but the results are still not transferable to another service.)

The AncestryDNA database has more than 120,000 samples and they’ve
delivered more than 2 million fourth cousin DNA matches.

Ancestry.com’s new iOS 4.1
update (Available now!)

More than 1/3 of new registrants on
Ancestry.com are coming from mobile devices. (Cool, I do this with my iPad and my iPhone. Just how does Ancestry.com track this? What percent are iOS? Droid?)

Ancestry believes "that same 1/3 are younger than their typical
website user, signaling a
great sign of the future health of the family history category." (How do they know for sure this "same 1/3 are younger? What about people like Mr. Myrt who are just getting into the Ancestry app?)

Collaboration is key. Ancestry now “encourages everyone to share
and help each other.

” (Remember last year we dissed Tim's RT2012 keynote for frequently
mentioning the word “competition”.)

Ancestry is constantly looking at ways to appeal to the beginner
and the expert genealogist. Ancestry recognizes this can be difficult when the two ends of the
spectrum speak a different language, but Tim says they are determined to find
the best way to appeal to both parties. (How about starting with better meta data and source citations bundling with the download of an image; releasing a syncing api so all genealogy software can sync to our Ancestry Member Trees; the ability to mark "thinking about this connection" on our public member trees?)

When Maureen first
sought copies of verified American Revolutionary War soldiers and sailors, I
figured it would be a lost cause and that at best she would end up with five or
ten images. But Maureen has found significantly more in her sojourn as the
photo detective. Fortunately, a surprising number of servicemen survived long
enough for the emergence of photography to take place in the early to
mid-1800s. It is a miracle the fragile ambrotypes, daguerreotypes, and tintypes
have come to light in the 21st century.

This is a
pic of Maureen and her film director Pam Pacelli Cooper of Verissima
Productions as they contemplate the production of this one-hour PBS-quality production titled “Revolutionary
Voices: A Last Muster Film” www.lastmusterfilm.com, will
introduce authenticated photos of members of the American Revolutionary War
generation. There are over 200 photographic portraits that have been discovered
and compiled by internationally recognized photo identification expert Maureen
Taylor over the past decade and profiled in her Last Muster books Images of the
Revolution and Faces of the Revolution.

Maureen explains "In order to produce and distribute “Revolutionary Voices” we need to raise a total of $225,000. Together we already spent numerous in-kind hours in pre-production. We need this initial funding to get our project up and running. As with any film our biggest challenge is starting production.

We are seeking $27,500 through your pledges to begin shooting.

“Revolutionary Voices” is not just the culmination of a professional project, but also a labor of love. Our passion is being able to share the stories of these extraordinary people. By becoming a backer of “Revolutionary Voices” you will help shine a new light on this on this vital, but sometimes remote, chapter of our American experience."

Sunday, March 24, 2013

DearREADERS,
One important meeting at RootsTech 2013 concerned FHISO, the Family History Standards Organisation. They anticipate providing standards, not producing a product. The standards would be adopted by the community of genealogy technology producers so end-users like Ol' Myrt can share her genealogy data (names, dates, notes, images, sources and all) with my cousin Russ, without experiencing scrambled or lost data. Here is FHISO's news:

"2013 Open Call for PapersRealising the Benefits - Community-driven Standards Development BeginsSalt Lake City, Utah, USA—Friday, March 22, 2013—Family History Information Standards Organisation, FHISO, has announced its 2013 Call for Papers Initiative (http://fhiso.org/call-for-papers/), signaling the commencement of open standards development work.Members of the international genealogy and family history community are invited to submit written proposals as contributions to the FHISO standards development process.“Modern standards development work is dynamic and deliberate,” said Robert Burkhead, FHISO Technical Standing Committee Coordinator and Acting Chair. “The result will be inclusive; it will be effective. It begins here. It begins with you and your participation.”“For the first time, the proposals will be published to the benefit of all stakeholders making up the international community,” said Tony Proctor (UK), FHISO Organiser. “Collectively, the proposals will give rise to comments, member working groups and project teams. The information standards developed from this process will better support how we work and how well we work together.”FHISO is a community-driven organisation established for the purpose of developing genealogy and family history information standards on a modern platform that is

Open

Multi-stakeholder

International

Self-governing

Balanced

The FHISO work platforms have been developed. A submissions platform for the Call for Papers is available (http://fhiso.org/call-for-papers/). As volunteers process the submissions, each will be posted for public viewing and commenting. A dynamic new platform to support working groups and project teams will follow.

I don't know how the
folks at RootsTech or elsewhere will pull in the info on Ol' Myrt's impressions of
RootsTech 2013, because most of my work is in video interviews, not in nicely
typed-blogger format. Does this mean Ol' Myrt here is becoming a video blogger?

As in years past, I've
kept close to the media hub - ready, willing and able to slip into one of the
glass-enclosed interview booths whenever there was a spare 5 minutes or so.
Thanks to FamilySearch for providing equipment and a full-time camera crew.

This year I've done a
lot better getting the videos up for viewing. Here's why:

I also experimented with HOA interviews. These proved
less "beautiful" for both video and audio were lower quality
than that provided by the tens of thousands of dollars worth of
professional equipment used by the FamilySearch video team.

See you tomorrow for Mondays with
Myrt where Russ and I are sure to rehash all things RootsTech 2013 once again! Check the www.GeneaWebinars.com calendar for details about how to attend as a JOINer or a VIEWer.

I think anyone joining GeneaBloggers ought to just go with the flow
until he/she "gets" what an awesome, supportive, funky, creative,
inspiring, wacky, fun group this is. We're 3,000+ strong.

Founder Thomas MacEntee hit the "genealogy scene" with power and spunk. Said "spunk" sometimes put people off. (It's their loss, believe me!) But what he has accomplished by establishing GeneaBloggers in building esprit de corps is nothing short of amazing. The site includes info about:

what genealogy blogs are out there (by name, by category)

how to tweak a blog for best results

who is creating new genealogy blogs each week

blogging prompts (several for each day)

HOW NOT TO MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION WHEN JOINING AN ORGANIZATION

Recently someone contacted Thomas, insistently expecting him to change the name of one of the time-honored blogging prompt titles. Thomas explained the meaning and history of the blog prompt, but the newbie would hear nothing of it.

That's what prompts Ol' Myrt here to remind folks:

When joining a new group, don't start out by trying to drastically remake things.

Stick around.

Get to know the members.

See where you can fit in.

Make friends.

The last thing you'd want to do is alienate everyone by trying to throw out years of tradition.

Yes, new blood is a good thing. Fresh ideas are welcome, but not from a guy or gal who starts out by shooting down significant traditions.

THE CASE OF GENEABLOGGERS

Members took offense at the pesky newbie's attempts to overhaul our system.

That
is not to say we are strict or "un"adaptable.

Indeed
we've grown to embrace many points of view and to appreciate our cultural and
ethnic diversity. We understand our variety of writing styles, and accept that
some write with a technical slant while others write purely to share the story
of a family's immigration to a new and different land. We feel the excitement
when one of our own busts through a brick wall and shares the triumph (and all
the cool details) in a series of posts.

Some
write including footnotes, some with less formal in-line citations, but all are
careful to share where we learned this or that. Copyright infringements are
fiercely supported by our group when even one in our midst gets splogged.

We
argue a point not in a competitive way, but to better grasp the idea being
expressed. We realize for all our individual contributions, we are better for
also being in conversation with the rest of the group.

We
know each other. We send prayers when one is nearly down for the count. We
mourn the loss of those who have gone on before us. We rejoice at births,
weddings, book publications, newspaper articles and TV interviews. We are likewise
thrilled by reunions of once lost loved ones and gatherings of heretofore
unknown cousins. When we attend the same regional or national conferences we
wear our tiaras and beads proudly, happy to spend even a few hours together,
perhaps over a meal. We step up to the plate and help by giving a class
scheduled for another who is unable to present due to unexpected accident or illness, a
father's sudden death or 4 feet of snow in Flagstaff.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

DearREADERS,
Thanks to the centralized calendar at GeneaWebinars.com, genealogists interested in learning more about our craft may register for these online seminars coming up this week. Be sure to verify the time in your neck of the woods. If you need a time zone converter see: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

Most of these webinars are held using the services of GoToWebinar.com. You don't need to have an account since the webinar organizer has that. As an attendee, you merely need to register, then click on the link in your confirmation email at the time of the event to attend. Newbies will find these links useful:

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

DearREADERS,
Thank you for all the support and enthusiasm for this week's Mondays with Myrt as we visited with many of our friends who have flown in to Salt Lake City from all over the world to attend the third annual RootsTech conference running this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 21, 22 and 23, 2013. This huge family history and technology event will be held in the Salt Palace, and you can still get tickets to attend atwww.RootsTech.org.

QUESTIONWhat is DearMYRTLE Live! @RootsTech?

ANSWER
Now that I've learned how to use my laptop and external web cam, Ol' Myrt here aims to do a lot of on-the-spot 3-5 minute interviews from the exhibit hall during this year's big event. I've heard semi-official counts of something like 6,800 registered attendees. That is awesome! I'll work to bring you late-breaking news, vendor spotlights, and typical man-on-the-street interviews during each DearMYRTLE Live! @RootsTech event.

QUESTION
So WHEN will you be broadcasting DearMYRTLE Live! @RootsTech?

WATCHers may catch the archived version anytime on DearMYRTLE's YouTube Channel. We are using the Google Hangouts on Air (HOA) platform which means each HOA will be auto-archived, and appear on my channel about 30 minutes after each HOA concludes. So VIEW it live or WATCH it later.

DearREADERS,
You remember our good friends at RootsMagic? Well, they are giving away two, count 'em, two iPads. Here's the official scoop:

"It's been a tremendous last few months here at RootsMagic. We've been busy with the new releases of RootsMagic 6 and RootsMagic for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. We're also excited to participate in one of the largest genealogy events in North America- RootsTech!We want to celebrate these momentous events with you, our loyal users! And what better way to celebrate than with a treasure hunt where you could win one of many prizes including an iPad (4th generation)!

Online Treasure Hunt

Once again, we've partnered with 15 of the best and brightest genealogy bloggers who will be reporting at the RootsTech conference. Each blogger will place one of 15 clue words on their websiteFrom Thursday, March 21 through Wednesday, March 27, 2013, visit http://www.rootsmagic.com/treasure for a complete list of the blogs where the 15 clue words can be found. Visit each blog, collect all 15 clue words, and you could win software, prizes, or an iPad!

Enter at RootsTech or at Home

Once you've collected the clues there are two ways to enter. The first is at the RootsTech conference itself. Pick up an entry card at the RootsMagic booth (#401) in the Exhibit Hall. Write the clue words on the back of the card and return it to the RootsMagic booth in the Exhibit Hall by Saturday, March 23 at 1:20 pm. At that time, we will hold the prize drawings. You must be present to win.We didn't want those who aren't able to attend RootsTech in person to feel left out so we're holding a second drawing and giving away more prizes including a second iPad. To enter this drawing, visithttp://www.rootsmagic.com/treasure anytime between Thursday, March 21 and midnight MST on Wednesday, March 27, 2013. Fill out the online form to be entered into the second drawing. You may enter both drawings but one entry per person, per drawing. Winners will be picked at random and notified via e-mail by Friday, March 29, 2013.Remember, the treasure hunt doesn't begin until this Thursday. Good luck!"

Ol' Myrt here is CLUE #3 - and you must visit my blog to get it, straight from the left navigation bar. You'll recognize the RootsMagic "treasure chest" graphic, which has the 1-word clue inserted.YES, no need to go to Snopes to check out this story. This is legit.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

DearREADERS,Mastering Genealogical Proof (MGP) will be the subject of a 10-session Hangout On Air (HOA) starting in June 2013. This post provides basic information about ordering the book, attending each Hangout on Air, and posting comments about chapter assignments. Also note a call for panelists willing to take an active roll in the development of this series.

COMMITMENT
Making the commitment to participate in a MGP Study Group is different from other nationally-ranked online genealogy study groups in that:

1. The answers are found in the book.
2. A small group of participants will be JOINing the live Hangout on Air as panelists.
3. A large group of participants will be VIEWing the live Hangout On Air via YouTube.
4. The HOAs will be recorded, so others may WATCH the Hangout on Air via YouTube later.
5. COMMENTS during the live HOA and when working through each week's assignments will be posted by in DearMYRTLE's G+ Online Genealogy Community under a stream for each week's assignment.
6. The sessions in this initial series will be completed on a near-weekly basis.

BASICALLY participants "major" in the study of Mastering Genealogical Proof for the duration of this series. We're going to eat, sleep and breathe this project until we get it down pat. There are some revolutionary thoughts in this book that will be a paradigm shift for even some experienced researchers. This pilot group will:

Participants must have a Google+ account, which is as simple as activating it with a Gmail account. Joining DearMYRTLE's Genealogy Community is free, but we do have to "approve" your request to join.

All comments and links to assignments will be posted in the community. Participants may use a blog or a public Google document to submit each assignment.

Unlike a webinar, the link for a G+ Hangout on Air isn't created until just before the event is to go live. I'll provide the links in the community for JOINing and VIEWing a few minutes prior to the start of the HOA broadcast.

For more info about attending a DearMYRTLE Hangout on air, see Making Sense of Google + HOAs.Closed-captioning is a feature of the live HOAs and recorded HOAs, through a service provided by Google. I'd say the speech recognition is about 90% accurate.

CALL FOR PANELISTSJOINers will play a crucial role in this Study Group as they appear as "panelists" across the bottom of the HOA screen, and will have control over their audio and video feed to the group. If you wish to be considered for a position on the panel, please let Ol' Myrt know via a comment to this post. Participants must be ready to:

Commit to attend all scheduled sessions, logging in 30 minutes before the scheduled start of the Hangout on Air. (VIEWers will begin to identify with you.)

Sit in a quiet space, away from all distractions for the duration of the HOA.

Complete all workbook assignments by Tuesday prior to the scheduled chapter discussion.

Review homework submitted by other panelists, providing feedback and comments.

Submit 2 questions for the panel to discuss during each HOA in advance to the moderator.

Factor-in time for all other panelists to respond and govern one's self accordingly.

Avoid self-promotion of products or services, except when providing links to one's blog where assignments are posted. (It isn't necessary to have a blog to participate as a panelist, but do mention the URL if you have one in your application.)

DearREADERS,
With no official press release from the publisher NGS, we are fortunate to find news about pre-ordering the much anticipated Mastering Genealogical Proof by Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS. Thank-you to Angela McGhie for noticing the publication of the landing page at the National Genealogical Society website. Here's the info page with a link to pre-order:http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/mastering_genealogical_proof

"Mastering Genealogical Proof aims to help researchers, students, and new family historians reconstruct relationships and lives of people they cannot see. It presents content in digestible chunks. Each chapter concludes with problems providing practice for proficiently applying the chapter’s concepts. Those problems, like examples throughout the book, use real records, real research, and real issues. Answers are at the back of the book along with a glossary of technical terms and an extensive resource list."Thomas W. Jones, who has pursued his family history since he was fifteen, is an award-winning genealogical researcher, writer, editor, and educator." Source: http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/mastering_genealogical_proof

Dr. Jones teaches at a number of well-respected genealogical institutes, including the Advanced Genealogical Methods course Ol' Myrt here recently completed at the 2013 Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

DearREADERS,
Thanks to the centralized calendar at GeneaWebinars.com, genealogists interested in learning more about our craft may register for these online seminars coming up this week. Be sure to verify the time in your neck of the woods. If you need a time zone converter see: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

This centralized calendar provides information about how to attend genealogy-related online meetings, classes, hangouts, seminars and webinars, where there is a visual slide share and/or website or software demo for attendees to view.

Hosts may use a variety of platforms including Adobe Connect, AnyMeeting, Captera, Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar, Live Meeting, Skype, Web-Ex, and Wiggio, to name a few.

There are currently over 35 with posting access to this calendar and blog, and over 200 hours of scheduled instruction for genealogists wishing to hone their research skills during the coming year.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Just received
confirmation that MONDAYS with MYRT will broadcast LIVE from the world-famous Family History
Library on Monday 18 March 2013 beginning at 10am to noon in the 3rd Floor
Glass Conference room. Between now and then, I'll see who is in town early for #RootsTech 2013, and start a fantastic line-up of interviews for a lively conversation. It would
be a great way to promo RootsTech in addition to the blogging and research work we find folks are doing in this fabulous research facility.

HERE'S HOW TO ATTEND LIVE
Join Ol' Myrt beginning at 9am as we arrange for the setup and the interview schedule on a clipboard. (How low tech can Myrt get?)

If you attempt to join, and receive the notice that the Hangout is full, then go to the VIEW option listed below.

HERE'S HOW TO VIEW THE EVENT LIVE
You may view the Hangout live on DearMYRTLE's YouTube Channel located here:http://www.youtube.com/user/DearMYRTLE
Be sure to click the "feed" tab. The Hangout will not start broadcasting here until I press the record button at the top of the hour. It may take a moment for the video stream to kick in.

HERE'S WHERE ALL MAY POST COMMENTS
If during the live broadcast of this Hangout On Air you'd like to post comments do so back at DearMYRTLE's Genealogy Communitt on Google+, perhaps on a different tab on your web browser. Ol' Myrt's community is located here:https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/104382659430904043232

IF YOU MISS THE LIVE HANGOUT OR WANT TO WATCH LATER
The archived version of a Google Hangout On Air appears usually within 30 minutes of the close of the recorded session. You will find it on DearMYRTLE's YouTube Channel:http://www.youtube.com/user/DearMYRTLE

Monday, March 11, 2013

DearREADERS,
Whilst reviewing for tonight's Land Records Research at NARA Hangout on Air, I ran across the info "as part of actions it is taking due to sequestration" the National Archives in Washington, DC and College Park, Maryland are facing reduced operating hours.

"Research rooms at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, and the National Archives at College Park, Maryland, are normally open to researchers six days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended hours from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. three days a week (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday). We will no longer offer these extended hours.The research rooms will remain open to researchers from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, year round.

In announcing the reduced hours, David S. Ferriero, the Archivist of the United States said: “We don’t take these reductions lightly. We are working hard to achieve our mission and minimize disruptions to the services we provide to the public.”

Hopefully our elected officials will exercise their authority to reach budgetary compromises so we may enjoy necessary access to records at these essential federal research facilities.

DearREADERS,
I can most heartily recommend supporting Maureen Taylor in this new project to preserve and share images of Revolutionary War soldiers through a video documentary. Kickstarter is a legitimate way for an entrepenuer to solicit pledges for a well-defined project such as Revolutionary Voices: The Last Muster Film. If you contribute today, your credit card will not be charged until April 10th, but only if the project has reached 100% of requested funds pledged. Here's the transcript of the official press release:

A Kickstarter campaign, running from Feb. 27 to April 10, will raise monies for production of a ground-breaking historical documentary that will bring the Revolutionary War generation to life through rare, historic photos.
(PRWEB) Boston -- The acclaimed creators of a new, historical documentary – showcasing stories behind rare, historic photos from the Revolutionary War generation – have launched a fundraising campaign.

The film, a one-hour PBS-quality production titled “Revolutionary Voices: A Last Muster Film” www.lastmusterfilm.com, will introduce authenticated photos of members of the American Revolutionary War generation. There are over 200 photographic portraits that have been discovered and compiled by internationally recognized photo identification expert Maureen Taylor over the past decade and profiled in her Last Muster books Images of the Revolution and Faces of the Revolution.

The Kickstarter funding campaign, with a $27,500 goal, is co-sponsored by Taylor and award-winning documentary film company Verissima Productions. The campaign will run from Feb. 27 through April 10, and finance the initial shooting phase of the film’s $225,000 production and distribution budget.

The film will also examine Taylor’s journey of discovery while following the trail of these stories.
“About 10 years ago, I was presented with an old photograph. Suddenly, the era of George Washington, Phyllis Wheatley, and John Adams came to life as I realized the subject of the photo had been a young adult during the American Revolution” Taylor said. “While it may seem surprising, many members of that generation survived into the age of photography, making it possible to look directly into the faces of the individuals who lived that history. By searching through databases, museum holdings and private collections, I have uncovered and authenticated over 200 photographs of men, women and children of the Revolutionary era.”

Shooting is scheduled to begin in April, and the film is slated for completion in December 2013.
“It’s perfect for students, teachers or anyone interested in a fresh look at this part of our history,” say the filmmakers. “Our film will create an experience that will reveal the daily struggles, personal dilemmas and passionately held beliefs of the members of this first American generation.”

About "Revolutionary Voices”
“Revolutionary Voices” will explore a variety of stories, including those of a soldier whose discharge papers were signed by George Washington; a Quaker family torn between their pacifist views and the fight for revolutionary ideals; and John Quincy Adams, who was a child during the war and who grew up to become the sixth President of the United States. It will also examine the history of the first commercially successful photographic process, the daguerreotype, and accompany Maureen Taylor on her journeys as a “photo detective,” searching for images and records, locating places where subjects lived, and interviewing descendants to create a correspondence between past and present.

About Maureen Taylor
Maureen Taylor, “The Photo Detective,” is a genealogist, author, and speaker. Taylor is an internationally recognized photo identification and family history expert, and the author of a number of books and magazine articles. She has been featured in the New York Times, Hallmark Television, The View, Better Homes & Gardens, The Boston Globe, Martha Stewart Living, MSNBC, PBS Ancestors, and more. She is also the author of The Last Muster series. The Wall Street Journal named Maureen “the nation’s foremost historical photo detective.” www.maureentaylor.com

About Verissima Productions Incorporated
Rob Cooper and Pam Pacelli Cooper are award-winning filmmakers based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Their films have been broadcast nationally and internationally. They include “Citizens, not Subjects” a history of political corruption in Memphis Tennessee, “Zamir: Jewish Voices return to Poland” which follows a choral group on a tour of Holocaust sites where their European predecessors perished, and “Samuel Bak: The Art of Speaking the Unspeakable”, which has been adopted by Facing History and Ourselves as a core part of their national curriculum.
Verissima also makes legacy video biographies and family business histories for private clients and works with non-profit organizations to make their stories available to audiences now…and in the future. www.verissima.com